We celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Lucy Cline on Thursday, December 24th (the morning of Christmas Eve). She was a devoted mother & grandmother. I'm sure she was especially missed by the family on Christmas Day but she can be in heaven because of Christ's birth on earth. May she sing there with the Angels.
We also had the funeral for Mary Lou Venditti on Wednesday, December 30th. Mary Lou was a real icon of St. Leo's during the years when lay people were encouraged to use their gifts for the good of the parish as that is part of our baptismal call. Mary Lou did that with extraordinary generosity as she prepared liturgies and ministered in many ways in the parish along with her husband Armond. Some parishioners had visited with her just days before her unexpected death and expressed how grateful they were to her for all that she had done here at St. Leo's. And here's another great gift they gave to the Church: they were married for 74 years and would have celebrated their 75th anniversary this June. What an incredible witness of love and commitment. We are indebted to people like Mary Lou and Armond who have built a foundation for us who continue to benefit today from their commitment many years ago.
We were happy to have received the other 3 railings that were installed in the sanctuary on the Wednesday before Christmas. I strongly encourage our Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers who may be fearful of the steps to use especially the railing to the left of the pulpit when entering or exiting the sanctuary. Again we are grateful to Jan Papez & to Irene Venesky who donated these to us.
Please don't forget to sign up to have your mug shot taken for our pictorial directory. There are so many times when someone says, "I know that name but can't put a face to it" or "I know their face but I don't know their name" and this can help with those two situations. We're making it as simple as possible for you & will even bribe you...if you participate you get a free directory which will have my picture in it! What more can you ask for?
As we leave the Christmas Season today with this feast of the Baptism of the Lord which takes us back into Ordinary Time, I express our communal thanks to Mickey Stitt and to the choir and our school children for the wonderful music they worked hard to provide for our Christmas celebrations. We're also thankful to all those who decorated the church so beautifully and who will be taking it all down again today.